iPhone J.D.

In the news

As I noted in my review of the Apple Watch Series 2, I'm a fan of the new watch.  I see from other reviews posted this week that I'm not alone.  For example, I agree with everything that California attorney David Sparks says in his review of the Apple Watch Series 2.  Also, if you are trying to decide if it is worth spending the extra $300 for the stainless steel version of the Apple Watch over the aluminum version, Sparks explains that he used the aluminum version of the original watch, but this time decided that it was worth spending more money for the stainless steel version.  That's my preference as well, for the reasons noted in my review.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• San Francisco attorney Kevin Underhill discusses an Apple patent application for a bag.  Yes, a bag.
• New York attorney Nicole Black recommends some apps for lawyers that she recently discovered.
• If you have an iPhone 7 Plus — I just have the regular iPhone 7 — you are probably wondering when each of the two cameras is being used.  Glenn Fleishman tackles this question in an article for Macworld.
• Reggie Ugwu of BuzzFeed News interviewed several Apple executives to discuss Apple Music.
• Software developer Alexei Baboulevitch wrote an interesting review of GoodNotes, my favorite app for taking handwritten notes using my Apple Pencil and my iPad Pro.
• Zac Hall of 9to5Mac reviews Lutron's Caséta in-wall dimmer, which is one of my favorite HomeKit devices.  (My review from 2015 is here.)  In fact, I like that product even more now than when reviewed it in 2015 because HomeKit works even better with iOS 10.
• I haven't yet had a chance to test the Series 2 Apple Watch in a swimming pool, but Eric Slivka is a serious swimmer and wrote about using the Apple Watch while swimming in an article for MacRumors.
• Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac talks about what he likes in watchOS 3.
• And finally, when I reviewed the Apple Watch Series 2 earlier this week, I included a link to a review of the watch by Serenity Caldwell for iMore.  It really is a good review, so you should check it out.  But in addition to the written review, she produced a really nice video showing off the new Apple Watch features.  Definitely worth watching if you own an Apple Watch, are planning to buy an Apple Watch, or are just Apple Watch curious:

Review: Apple Watch Series 2

I started using an Apple Watch on April 24, 2015, and I have worn one every single day since.  I loved my original Apple Watch for its basic functions that were built-in by Apple:  receiving notifications such as new emails or messages, quick responses to text messages and emails, the fitness and activity functions, a quick way to glance at my calendar appointments and the current time, etc.  But I didn't like the way that my original Apple Watch worked with third party apps.  They were so slow to launch, and slow to update data, that I found myself rarely using them.

Apple addressed the major shortcomings of the original Apple Watch in a one-two punch this month.  First, Apple released watchOS 3.0, which made every Apple Watch faster when working with third party apps.  Second, Apple released the Series 2 version of the Apple Watch, adding even more speed and other cool new features such as GPS, a brighter screen and being waterproof.  I've been using the stainless steel 42 mm Apple Watch Series 2 ($599) for about a week now.  Here are my thoughts.

What's new

I'll start with the new features in Series 2.  There are four key differences:  speed, brightness, GPS and waterproofing.  Battery and size are also worth mentioning.

Speed.  The original Apple Watch was begging to be faster.  The software upgrade in watchOS 3 improves things by letting you keep your most commonly used apps in memory, even apps from third parties, making it faster when you launch those apps. That's great, and certainly better than before, but the original Apple Watch running watchOS 3 is still no speed demon.  To get more speed, you need updated hardware. 

The 2016 version of the Apple Watch features a hardware processor that makes the watch 50% faster, plus a new GPU that makes graphics twice as fast, plus a dual-core processor.  Put it all together, and both 2016 models of the Apple Watch (Series 1 and Series 2) are more responsive.  When I go to start a workout with my Series 2 Apple Watch, the Workout app pops up with virtually no delay.  Third Party apps that I have placed in the dock launch instantly, and while sometimes for some third party apps I need to wait a few seconds for data to load, and a few apps take even longer than a few seconds, it is much faster than when I try the same thing on my original Apple Watch updated to watchOS 3.

Launching a third party app that is not in your dock is still slow, but better than before.  Launch times vary from app to app, so rather than a quantitative analysis I'll provide a qualitative one:  on my original Apple Watch, launching a third party app is slow enough that I often just lose interest and go on to something else.  But on the Series 2 Apple Watch, the wait for an non-dock app to open is annoying but not so annoying that I give up.  And of course, whenever I find a third party app that I want to use often, I just add it to my dock, which turns that app into a fast-loading app.

Speed on an Apple Watch is important for the same reason that it is important on an iPhone or iPad:  it improves responsiveness.  Whenever you press a virtual button on a screen and have to wait for something to happen, you get at least a little annoyed.  On the other hand, when pressing virtual button yields immediate results, you almost forget that the button is virtual, and instead just focus on the task that you were triggering by pressing the button.

I presume that the Apple Watch will get faster every time that Apple updates the hardware.  (At this point, we don't know how frequently Apple will update the Apple Watch.  This update took almost a year and a half.  I suspect the next update will be in the Fall of 2017, but maybe not until 2018.)  A future, Series 3, Apple Watch will surely be faster, but the speed upgrade this year is a significant one, enough to make the Apple Watch noticeably more pleasant to use.

Brightness.  The original Apple Watch is more than bright enough when you are inside, when you are outside at night, or when you are outside in the shade.  But in the sun, it can be hard to see. 

The screen on the Series 2 Apple Watch is twice as bright.  I thought that would mean that it is much brighter when I am inside, but frankly I don't see any difference between the original Apple Watch and the Series 2 Apple Watch. Look at this picture taken inside and tell me if you can see the difference:

The original Apple Watch in the above picture is on the left with the white band; the new Series 2 Apple Watch is on the right with the black band.

On the other hand, when I'm outside, the brighter screen is a noticeable improvement.  Let me show you what I mean.  There is a watch face called X-Large which I like to use when I am outside on a sunny day.  It makes the numbers as large and bold as possible to give you the best chance to see it in direct sunlight.  In the following pictures, for both watches, I have brightness turned up to maximum (which is the setting that I always use).  In this first picture, it is a sunny day but I waited to take the picture until the sun was behind a cloud, so it wasn't as bright.  I can see the X-Large display on both the Apple Watch Series 2 (left, with black band) and the original Apple Watch (right, with white band), but it is much easier to see on the newer Apple Watch:

Of course even in the above picture, you can read both screens.  That's what I like about the X-Large display, with its large font.  But if you are outside at the park or a concert, and you are trying to read a text message from a friend on your watch, the additional brightness in that smaller text message is a big improvement and makes things much more legible.

What if you are in direct sunlight on a hot New Orleans day with no shade?  This is a very difficult condition for an Apple Watch (or an iPhone screen, for that matter).  With the sun beating down on the watch, the original Apple Watch is just barely visible, even with this X-Large display watch face.  The display on the newer Apple Watch is somewhat hard to see in the direct sunlight, but it is a big improvement over the original Apple Watch:

I like this feature of the Series 2 Apple Watch.  The Apple Watch often works best when you can glance at it for a half a second and get the info that you need.  The brighter screen means that, even on a sunny day, you can still do so in that half a second, without needing to hold up your watch closer to your face and squinting.

GPS.  When you are walking or running outside, you can improve the accuracy of your distance, pace, and calorie measurements by using GPS.  These accuracy improvements are helpful not only for that specific outdoor workout, but also for calibrating your watch to help it to learn your fitness level and stride, which improves your distance, pace and calorie measurements when you are exercising inside on a treadmill.

With the original Apple Watch, getting the added accuracy that GPS provides meant carrying your iPhone with you while you were exercising.  Often, that is not ideal.  Because the Series 2 Apple Watch has a built-in GPS, you get the accuracy that GPS provides without the hassle of carrying your iPhone with you.  If you have a playlist with songs that you like to listen to when you workout, you can sync those to your Apple Watch.  That way, all you need is your Apple Watch and a pair of Bluetooth headphones to walk or run outside.  On the other hand, if you want to listen to a podcast while you are outside, there is not an easy way to sync those episodes to the Apple Watch, so it is easier to carry your iPhone with you.

An added bonus of GPS is that the watch gives you a map after your walking or running workout is over so that you can see where you have been.  For example, I recently took a walk up and down St. Charles Ave., the beautiful street in New Orleans where the streetcars operate.  I started the Outdoor Walk function in the Workout app on the Apple Watch.  Then I walked one direction on one side of the street, and the other direction on the other side of the street.  When I was done, I could launch the Activity app on my iPhone and see exactly where I had walked, with green areas indicating where I had walked a little faster, and red areas indicating where I had walked a little slower — because, for example, I had to wait for cars to pass before I could cross an intersection.

Although I try to walk or run just about every day, I virtually always do it using a treadmill in my house, so the new GPS feature isn't particularly useful to me.  However, if you regularly exercise outdoors, either walking or running, and you don't want to carry your iPhone with you, then you might really appreciate the new GPS feature.  I've heard many serious runners tell me that they wouldn't even consider using a smartwatch while running unless it had a GPS built-in.  

Waterproof.  Even the original Apple Watch was reasonably water resistant.  I wore it many times when I was in water and when my arm was only occasionally going under water — such as when I was at the beach with my kids and in water that was only up to about my chest, and several times when I was in a "lazy river" at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans with my kids.  But whenever I got my original Apple Watch wet, I was conscious about not getting it too wet, just to be safe.

The Series 2 Apple Watch is waterproof, and it even has workout features designed specifically for swimming laps in a pool or swimming in the open water.  I enjoy swimming laps, but I don't have the opportunity to do it very often.  I had planned to test the Series 2 Apple Watch in a pool this past weekend, but unfortunately my schedule didn't allow for it.  I did wear my Series 2 Apple Watch in the shower once and it held up just fine, but the main thing that experience accomplished was to remind me that it is completely unnecessary for me to ever wear a watch in the shower.  I mean, seriously, why do people do that?

Even though the hardcore swimming-for-exercise that I do is rare, I know that I will appreciate the peace of mind that comes along with having a waterproof Apple Watch.  I can keep my hand underwater for long periods of time, and even keep it on while in a pool with my kids, without having to worry about the water harming the electronics.  Thus, any time that I am around water, I just won't have to worry about the fact that I'm wearing my watch.  And since I wear my Apple Watch all day long every day, this is nice.

Battery.  Apple doesn't advertise the Series 2 Apple Watch as having better battery life than the original Apple Watch; the company suggests 18 hours for both.  But in this first week of usage, I have noticed more battery life at the end of every day.

Does this matter?  For me, mostly no.  I charge my watch every night when I go to bed, so whether it has 10% or 50% left at the end of the day is of no real consequence.  But if you use the smaller 38 mm size watch — which has a smaller battery — this might matter to you.  Serenity Caldwell of iMore wrote a recent review in which she says that the improved battery life is one of her favorite new features for the 38 mm watch.  For example, she states that "a morning cross-training workout dropped my battery from 100% to 89%; the same workout on the [original Apple Watch] put it at 53%."

Size.  If you own an original Apple Watch, the new Series 2 is almost exactly the same size, but it is about 1 mm thicker.  This is an incredibly minor difference.  In the following picture, the original stainless steel Apple Watch is on the left, and the Series 2 stainless steel Apple Watch is on the right.  Zoomed in like this, I suppose you can see the slight difference.

In actual use, however, I really don't think I can feel the difference.  The other day, I was wearing a shirt with a tighter cuff, and I thought to myself — aha, I can feel the larger size of the new Apple Watch.  But then I put the old Apple Watch on, and the cuff was still tight with the original watch underneath it.

Don't get me wrong; I'd much prefer for Apple to make the Apple Watch slimmer with each generation, not thicker.  I wasn't thrilled to learn about the 1 mm increase.  Fortunately, I really haven't noticed the difference.

Summing up the new features.  The new features of the Series 2 are nice.  If you are a swimmer or an outdoor runner, then they will be really important for you.  For me, the speed is the main reason that I am happy that I upgraded from the original Apple Watch to the Series 2 Apple Watch, although the brighter screen and being waterproof are also nice. 

Note that you can get the speed increase in the Series 1 Apple Watch, which is cheaper than the Series 2.  However, the Series 1 Apple Watch only comes in the aluminum model.  I greatly prefer the look of the stainless steel model.  After all, a watch is not just a useful device, it is also jewelry, and if you are going to wear a piece of jewelry all day long every day, you want for it to be something that you like.  Also, the stainless steel model has a Sapphire crystal face, while the aluminum watch uses the not-quite-as-good Ion-X glass.  I suppose I'm a clumsy oaf because I cannot even count the number of times that I accidentally hit the face of my original Apple Watch on an object — wall, fence, lamp, chair, table, pretty much you name it.  But after almost a year and a half of abuse, there isn't a single scratch on the face.  Would the Ion-X glass have held up as well?  Who knows, and I don't want to find out.

If you own the original Apple Watch and you are thinking of upgrading, you'll need to decide whether the cost of the Series 1 or Series 2 makes sense for you.  If swimming and the GPS features are not particularly important for you, then speed is the main reason to upgrade.  The Series 2 (and I presume also the Series 1) speed increase is noticeable and very nice.  But to be fair, it is not Earth-shattering. For me, every noticeable speed increase is a welcome speed increase.  If I am holding up my arm to look at my watch, the last thing I want to do is hold up my arm even longer to wait for something to happen.  But if you are satisfied with the speed increase that watchOS 3 brings to your first generation Apple Watch (the Series Zero?), then perhaps it makes the most sense for you to put off a watch upgrade for another year or so when the Series 3 is released.

What's old, but still great

Those are my thoughts if you are interested in what is new in the 2016 edition of the Apple Watch.  But if you don't currently own an Apple Watch at all, feel free to pat yourself on the back for waiting for Apple to work out the kinks in its first generation watch.  You now have some great options with the Series 1 Apple Watch (if you want aluminum and don't care about GPS or being waterproof) or the Series 2 Apple Watch that I have.  (Or you can be even fancier and get the white ceramic "Edition" model, which is even more expensive.)

The Apple Watch is a fantastic iPhone companion.  When notifications come in, you no longer have to locate and look at your iPhone.  Just glance at your wrist.  Better yet, you don't have to listen for a beep or feel for a buzz on the iPhone; the Apple Watch silently taps on your wrist when it wants your attention.  Nobody else will ever know.

Sometimes, a notification of a new message or email or other item will prompt you to reach for your iPhone.  But often, the notification itself was sufficient.  Or if a response is required, it is easy to send one from the Apple Watch by tapping on one of the suggested responses, or using your finger to draw a few letters.  Or, if you are in an environment where you can make noise, it is easy to dictate a response on the watch using Siri.

I also love that I can glance at my wrist to quickly get the information that I need.  When I'm at work, I use a watch face that shows me the time, date, and my next appointment, plus shows in a small circle my activity for the day.  On the weekend when I'm being active with my kids, I switch to a watch face that has a larger activity circle — or, if I'm feeling silly, to a Mickey Mouse watch face.  Thanks to watchOS 3, I can press the button on the side of the watch to quickly get information from, or use the features of, other apps.  For example, I love that when my iPhone is playing music or a podcast, I can use the Now Playing app to play, pause, skip forward or backward, etc. 

With the Apple Watch, I don't even have to worry about having my iPhone in my pocket.  Sometimes my iPhone is somewhere else in the room.  Or, my iPhone can be in my house while I am doing work outside, and my watch will let me know if I get a call, an email, etc. (because the Wi-Fi at my house extends out far enough).

I also love Apple Pay on the Apple Watch.  Being able to pay for a sandwich just by moving my arm closer to the little machine next to a cash register is both fast and fun. 

If you use devices in your home compatible with Apple's HomeKit, it is really nice to be able to tap a button on your watch, or speak to Siri on your watch, to turn lights on or off, dim lights when you are ready to watch a movie, etc.

And finally, I love that the Apple Watch motivates me to be more active.  Thanks to my Apple Watch, I have been using my treadmill or otherwise been active virtually every single day.

Conclusion

If you have been thinking about getting an Apple Watch but were waiting for a second generation model, your wait is over.  I encourage you to get one.  You'll get all of the advantages of the original Apple Watch, plus the new bells and whistles, plus much less of the aggravation associated with the slower hardware and less refined 1.0 software. 

If you already have an original Apple Watch, you don't need to upgrade — unless you are a swimmer or an outdoor runner, in which case this new watch is made just for you.  Having said that, even if the GPS and waterproofing are less important to you, if you upgrade anyway, I'm sure that you'll still appreciate the increase in speed, and the brighter screen will be nice when you are outside.

[Sponsor] Drobo -- safe, expandable storage

Thank you to Drobo for sponsoring iPhone J.D. this month.  Drobo appears to your computer to be a single external hard drive, but it actually has multiple hard drives inside of it and your data is always stored on multiple drives.  Thus, when one of the hard drives fail — and remember, all hard drives will fail at some point — your data is still safely stored on the remaining drives.  Just eject the dead drive and replace it with another drive, and you are back in business.  You can also swap out the hard drives to larger versions, making it easy to expand your storage. 

I've written about the Drobo several times before.  Last December, I described the Drobo 4 Bay, which is a great basic system and attaches directly to your computer.  Last month, I described the Drobo 5N, which has five drive bays and attaches to your network, and which also supports Drobo apps to support lots of different functions such as remote access to files.  (See also my posts from March and June of this year.)

Once thing new that I've done with the Drobo 5N in the last few weeks is use its large (and expandable) space to create disk images of other hard drives.  Using SuperDuper! — which costs $28, and is one of the very best pieces of software for backing up drives on a Mac — I created a disk image on the Drobo 5N.  Every night when I'm asleep, SuperDuper! launches and sees what is new on my home computer (an iMac) and updates the disk image on the Drobo 5N accordingly.  If the hard drive on my iMac ever fails, I'll have an up-to-date backup right there on my desk.  (I also use BackBlaze so I also have an online backup, so even if my house burns down and I lose all of my local media, I still haven't lost any files.)

I previously had been using SuperDuper! to backup my Mac to 2 TB external hard drive, but I now have more than 2 TB on my internal hard drive so that wasn't going to work anymore.  Plus I didn't keep that external drive connected all of the time, which means that sometimes I would go a week or two before I remembered to create a backup.  But I always have access to the Drobo 5N on my local network, so my computer remembers to backup every single night without me having to remember.

There are countless ways to use external storage.  If you are considering getting an external hard drive for your Mac or PC for any reason, you should consider getting a Drobo instead so that you have external storage that is both safe and expandable.

Click here to get Drobo from the online Drobo Store, and use discount code Jeff100 to save $100.

In the news

Demand for Apple's newly announced products outstripped supply for many of the popular models, but Apple is beginning to catch up.  In the last 48 hours, I've seen reports from many folks who were originally going to have to wait a long time for a product, but were informed this week that the ship date was moved up substantially.  And the Hermés version of the Apple Watch Series 2 goes on sale today.  I finally received my Stainless Steel Apple Watch Series 2 just a few days ago (I'll have a review soon).  And while the iPhone 7 Jet Black 256 GB model that I ordered from AT&T was originally not expected to ship until October 7 to 14, I just received notice last night that it is now about to ship.  If you ordered a new iPhone or Apple Watch and are still waiting, hopefully the wait won't be for too much longer.  And if you have been waiting for the initial rush to die down before buying something, your time has just about come as well.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• Earlier this week, I described the new Clio iPhone and iPad app.  Massachusetts attorney Bob Ambrogi had this to say about the new Clio app.
• I see that a post on Above the Law recommends that you listen to the podcast interview that I recently did with Adriana Linares.  I second that recommendation.
• Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac reviews, and likes, the Brydge Bluetooth keyboard for the 12.9" iPad Pro.
• Phil Dzikiy of iLounge writes a favorable review of the Simplex iPad stand by Thought Out.  I reviewed that stand last month and concluded by saying that I liked it almost as much as a more expensive stand sold by Thought Out.  But since I posted my review, I've continued to use the Simplex at my desk every day, so much so that I finally moved the other stand off of my desk.  The price is right, and I can highly recommend the Simplex.
• iOS 10 improves the Emoji characters in many ways.  Jeremy Burge, the editor of Eomjipedia, wrote a good article explaining all of the Emoji differences.
• The shuffle and repeat buttons are a little hard to find in Apple Music in iOS 10.  Kirk McElhearn tells you where to look.
• If you are the type of attorney who cannot stand common grammar errors and don't mind correcting others, then the Grammar Snob sticker pack for Messages might be perfect for you.  Aldrin Calimlim of AppAdvice shows it off.  Its literally amazing what stuff is in their, and I ensure you that your, going too love the affect.
• Whenever Apple releases iOS 10.1, it will include support for Portrait mode on an iPhone 7 Plus, the mode that makes iPhone pictures look similar to pictures taken with an expensive SLR camera thanks to the bokeh effect.  Matthew Panzarino tried out the beta version of Portrait mode and explains, and shows in pictures, how it works.
• Rene Ritchie of iMore wrote a good review of the iPhone 7.
• Jordan Kahn of 9to5Mac notes that while the iPhone 7 is brighter than previous iPhones, you have to have auto-brightness enabled — and most likely have to be outside — to get the maximum brightness.
• Jeff Benjamin of 9to5Mac reviews the new leather case that Apple is selling for the iPhone 7.  It has quite a few improvements, which I know first-hand because I ordered one for my new iPhone 7.  I may not have my new iPhone yet, but the case arrived earlier this week.  I couldn't stand just looking at it without an iPhone in it, so I did briefly put my iPhone 6s in it — which fits except for the camera hole — and I can already tell you that I far, far prefer the real buttons on this case versus the leather indent "buttons" on the leather case for the iPhone 6 / 6s. 
• Chance Miller gave up on the original Apple Watch, but explains why he may change his story with the Apple Watch Series 2.
• Walt Mossberg of The Verge explains why watchOS 3 is an even bigger deal than Apple Watch Series 2.
• One of the new features of watchOS 3 is that the Apple Watch encourages you to take a 60 second break to breathe.  Georgia Dow, who is a practicing therapist, explains why this breathing exercise is helpful in an article for iMore.
• Conan O'Brien shows us what it might look like if Apple created a bag.
• And finally, Apple produced a funny commercial in which late night TV host James Cordon pitches ideas for an Apple Music commercial to three Apple executives (Jimmy Iovine, Eddy Cue and Bozoma Saint John).  Silly premise, but it works because Cordon is funny.  Here is the video:

Review: iClever Wireless Stereo Headset -- inexpensive, good Bluetooth headphones

Apple tells us that the future is wireless, and that is one reason that there is no traditional headphone port on the new iPhone 7.  I say, bring it on.  Wires on headphones always get in the way for me.  Bluetooth headphones have been around for a long time now, but I've had a very mixed experience with them.  Many of the cheaper models are complete junk, fall apart, and have clicking or other noises that distract from the experience of listening to your audio.  Of course, Apple aims to solve this with its AirPods which will debut in late October.  That device has a ton of features, but with a $159 price tag, you pay for the quality.

Over the last year or so, I've tried out a lot of inexpensive (under $50) headphones, some of which were sent to me (for free) to review, and some of which I've purchased on Amazon.  For one reason or another — typically sound quality, but sometimes build quality — most of those products have been a disappointment for me so I haven't written about them.  But a few weeks ago, iClever sent me a free review sample of its IC-BTH06 Wireless Stereo Headset Bluetooth headphones, and I've been really impressed.  This is now the device that I prefer to use when I work out on the treadmill, when I'm doing doing yard work, or when I'm taking a long walk and want to listen to music or a podcast.

The ear tips on these headphones are small and fit very well in my ear, with a shark-fin-style ear hook to keep it in place.  I realize that everyone has different ears so what works well for me will not work well for everyone, but I find these very comfortable.  Also, they stay in my ears and don't accidentally fall out of my ears, even when I am jogging. 

The ear tips are connected by a cord that goes behind your neck, and it works well for me.  That hasn't been the case for me with similar devices.  For example, iMore recently named the Soundpeats Qy7 its favorite budget Bluetooth headphones, and with a price of only $16.99 on Amazon, I bought a pair to try them out.  But I found that the cord in the back would often catch on the back of my neck or my shirt, and the resulting tug on the ear tips would really mess with the quality of the sound.  This same problem has not occurred with the iClever headphones.

You get an assortment of replacement tips in different sizes.  The medium size ones that are installed out of the box worked best for me.

I'm glad that you get extras because one complaint that I have is that the rubber tips can come off from time to time — not while have been wearing them, but instead when I am just holding them in my hands or I move them on a desk.  So far, whenever it has happened, I have found the rubber tip and replaced it easily, but chances are, one day I will lose one in the grass or somewhere that I cannot find it.  If that happens, I'll have to use one of the extras that are provided.

I also like that there are play/pause, volume up and volume down buttons on the cord.  Some other Bluetooth headphones have these controls in small buttons on the side of the ear tip, and I always have trouble finding and pressing those buttons.  But the iClever controls are easy to find and use.  (I haven't used the AirPods yet, but I already regret that they don't have these buttons.)

There is a microphone on the controller, so you can talk on the phone using this device.  If you press long on the play/pause button, you can trigger Siri and speak a command.  Just don't hold down for too long because that is how you turn the device off.

The sound quality is fine, although admittedly not amazing — exactly what I would expect for the $28 price (on Amazon).  Music sounds good, and podcasts sound great.  I spend far more time listening to podcasts than music, so this was fine for me.  But don't get me wrong, I also enjoyed listening to lots of songs on Apple Music. 

One minor complaint is that I wish that the volume was louder.  I find myself always using them at maximum volume.  The maximum value is enough for me, even when in a noisy environment outside, so I suppose that is all that matters.  Nevertheless, it seemed strange to me that there was no way to make them even louder if I wanted to do so.

The charge lasts about five hours of listening time (or 155 hours of standby time).  They charge using a standard Micro USB cable.

If you are looking for an inexpensive set of Bluetooth headphones that get the job done with no nonsense, I recommend this product.  I've enjoyed using them, and I suspect that it is the device that I will continue to use every day until I have a chance to try Apple's upcoming AirPods.

Click here to get iClever Wireless Stereo Headset on Amazon ($27.99).

Clio updates its iPhone, iPad apps

Clio offers web-based practice management, time & billing and client collaboration services (including document management) for small and mid-sized law firms.  Because Clio is web-based, you always had the ability to access Clio using Safari on an iPhone or iPad.  In September of 2013, Clio introduced an iPhone app to provide a customized interface for using Clio on that mobile device.  In April of 2015, Clio introduced an iPad app.  Yesterday, during Clio's Clio Cloud Conference 2016 in Chicago, Clio introduced a new version of its iPhone and iPad app. The new app reflects a complete rethinking of the app.  I got to see a preview of it last week, and I was impressed.

Clio says that it learned from direct user feedback and from monitoring how attorneys used the app that most attorneys use the Clio app for quick access to data.  Attorneys spend more time when they are using the full Clio web interface, but for the app they just want to quickly get in, get the information that they need, and then get out.  Thus, they tell me that the goal of the new app was to have a Home Screen with all of the key functions in one place.

The new Home Screen shows you your upcoming events, your tasks due, and your recent matters. 

If you want to access matters that are not already on the home screen (because, for example, you haven't been working on them recently), the app now features a global search at the top right.  You can type and quickly find anything, such as matters, contacts, documents, notes, bills, expenses, tasks, etc. 

The old version of the app had a menu that you accessed at the top left.  Now the app puts buttons at the bottom to jump to the calendar, matters, and other functions. 

The app also features persistence; the app remembers where you have been.  For example, if you are in a matter view and then go to the calendar, when you return to the matter view you will still be looking at the same matter that you were looking at before.

The Tasks screen is per-filtered with easy to tap selections like today, next seven days, overdue, no due date, etc. 

Finally, the Global Create button at the bottom right (the button that looks like a plus in a circle), allows you to create pretty much anything from anywhere.  For example, while you are looking at a document, you can tap this button to create a new calendar entry.

We don't use Clio at my own law firm — I work for a large law firm, which is not the target audience for this service — so I haven't had the opportunity to use the Clio app in my own law practice.  But I've heard from many other attorneys who are happy Clio users, and I was impressed when I saw the demo last week.  I suspect that Clio users will greatly appreciate the new app because it lets them get what they need more quickly.

Click here to get Clio (free): 

[Sponsor] Lit Software -- TrialPad, TranscriptPad and DocReviewPad apps for the iPad

Thank you to Lit Software for sponsoring iPhone J.D. this month.  My guess is that many of you know about this company because it produces three of the very best iPad apps designed for attorneys:  TrialPad, TranscriptPad and DocReviewPad.  TrialPad was first released in 2010 — the same year that the iPad itself debuted — and has seen numerous major updates over the years.  I reviewed the most recent version just a few months ago, and it is an incredibly powerful app.  If you want to present evidence to a jury, judge, or other audience, the app gives you powerful tools for displaying and annotating documents, including the Callout tool that most jurors expect to see nowadays. 

In my own litigation practice, I spend a lot of time working with deposition transcripts, such as preparing for a motion for summary judgment.  Thus, TranscriptPad is the Lit Software app that I use the most.  My last major review of the app was in November of 2014, and that review still gives you a solid overview of what the app can do.  But the app has had many updates since then and is now even more powerful.  Whether I am drafting a motion, or I am in a subsequent deposition and I want to quickly see all of the relevant testimony on a subject during prior depositions, TranscriptPad does exactly what I need.  On several occasions, other attorneys have watched me use TranscriptPad and then remarked that they need to get an iPad.  When an app is so useful that it is a reason for attorneys to buy an iPad, you know it is a good app.

DocReviewApp is the newest app from Lit Software, and I reviewed it in October of 2015.  This is an app that you can use to review and annotate documents on your iPad, so this app is especially helpful as a part of the request for production of documents process.

Thanks to Lit Software for sponsoring iPhone J.D. this month, and more importantly, a big thank you to Lit Software for creating software that allows us to use our iPads to be better attorneys.

Click here to get TrialPad ($129.99): 

Click here to get TranscriptPad ($89.99): 

Click here for DocReviewPad ($89.99): 

Click here for DocReviewPad ($89.99): 

In the news

Today is the day that the new iPhone officially goes on sale, but if you had planned to stroll into an Apple Store today and pick one up, you may want to change those plans.  For the first time that I can recall, Apple issued a press statement yesterday essentially saying that it has sold out of its first run.  As Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch reports, during the pre-order that began a week ago, Apple sold every single one of its iPhone 7 Plus models, and Apple sold out all of the Jet Black iPhone 7 models.  A limited number of iPhone 7 models in silver, gold, rose gold and black will be in stores today, but I suspect that number is very limited.  Is this an issue of supply or demand?  I suspect both are at play, but I can tell you that I ordered a Jet Black iPhone 7 just a few minutes after they went on sale at 2am Central last Friday, and I was immediately told that my device would not ship until Oct. 7 to Oct. 14.  Maybe a few folks will receive Jet Black models tomorrow, but I suspect that number is very, very small.  I thought about changing my order just to try to get a different color a little sooner -- for example, the regular black with a matte finish also looks very nice -- but the Jet Black model looks amazing in the pictures and I think that is the one that I'll enjoy usnig the most.  So I'll wait.

The new Apple Watch also goes on sale today.  I was also one of the very first to pre-order the new watch, but my Series 2, 42mm, Stainless Steel Case watch isn't scheduled to ship until Sept. 26 to Sept. 28.  So I'll wait.

Hopefully some of you will be fortunate enough to get the new iPhone or watch that you want today, and if so, I'd love to hear what you think about your new device ... although I reserve the right to be a little jealous.  As I wait.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• California attorney David Sparks discusses some of the new features in iOS 10, and in another post explains the improvements to Messages in iOS 10.
• New York attorney Neil Squillante, publisher of the TechnoLawyer newsletters, discusses the new iPhone 7, Apple Watch Series 2 and AirPods.
• Florida attorney Katie Floyd shares some slides that she used for a presentation on tech tips for attorneys.  Quite a few of the slides provide iPhone/iPad tips.
• South Carolina attorney Justin Kahn notes that the Microsoft Word app added a Smart Lookup feature.
• Kahn also explains how to create key docs and witness folders in the TrialPad app.
• New York attorney Nicole Black recommends nine iPhone apps for lawyers.
• Apple gave us lots of new software and hardware this week.  On Tuesday, Apple released iOS 10 for iPhone and iPad, which I really like.  Early this week, I linked to the comprehensive (and long) review by Federico Viticci.  For a shorter, although still very packed review, I highly recommend the review by David Pogue for Yahoo Tech.
• Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal wrote a helpful review of iOS 10, but even better than her written review is the video that she created.  The video is meant to be watched on an iPhone screen (in the normal portrait orientation) and does a fantastic job of visually walking you through some of the improvements.
• Geoffrey Fowler of the Wall Street Journal tested iOS 10 on older iPhones and found that it adds new features without slowing down those older devices.
• Messages in iOS 10 gives folks the ability to place a sticker on top of a message.  What if you want to read the message but are having trouble because it is covered by a sticker?  Dan Moren of Six Colors has the solution.
• iOS 10 has a built-in magnifying glass that has some nice features.  Sal Conigilaro explains how to activate it using the Accessibility options in the Settings app.
• iOS 10 changes the way that you unlock the phone — no more slide to unlock.  Jason Snell of Six Colors explains the new approach.
• Snell also explains some of the new features in Photos in iOS 10.
• iOS 10 is great for more folks, but not so much for T-Mobile customers.  Buster Hein of 9to5Mac reports that T-Mobile is advising its customers to hold off on upgrading until a connectivity issue is fixed.
• Lory Gil of iMore explains that in iOS 10, when you get a voicemail, your iPhone can provide you with a transcript of it so that you can read the voicemail instead of listening to it.  It's a neat feature, because many of the times that my phone rings and I cannot answer it, I am in a situation in which I cannot easily listen to the voice mail — but I can often read a transcript.
• watchOS 3 for the Apple Watch was also released this week.  Alex Guyout of MacStories wrote a comprehensive review, full of lots of tips and tricks that I didn't know about.
• Quite a few members of the press got early access to the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and wrote reviews.  Here are a few of my favorites:
• Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch did a nice job writing a comprehensive review of the new iPhone 7.
• David Pogue of Yahoo Tech explains that in the iPhone 7, Apple improved just about every part of the iPhone that could be improved.
• John Gruber of Daring Fireball discusses the major new features and explains why he likes the new Jet Black color.
• That new Jet Black color is either popular, hard to manufacture, or both because those models seem to be the hardest to get right now.  Roger Fingas of AppleInsider explains how Apple achieves the high-gloss Jet Black finish on the iPhone 7.
• Quite a few members of the press got early access to the new Apple Watch and wrote reviews.  Here are a few of my favorites:
• John Gruber of Daring Fireball believes that Apple has finally figured out what the Apple Watch is good at — a stylish timepiece, a notification display and quick response extension of your iPhone, and a comprehensive health and fitness companion — and is now correctly focusing on those features.
• Jim Dalrymple of The Loop likes the built-in GPS and other exercise features.
• Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal likes the new features, but notes that using the GPS can use a lot of battery life, and has trouble loading songs onto the watch.  (I agree that Apple really needs to make it easier to transfer music onto the watch so that you can run without carrying your iPhone.)
• You can get the new Apple Watch Series 2 with a white ceramic finish.  Liz Stinson wrote an interesting article for Wired about the use of ceramic in the Apple Watch.
• Apple has not yet released its new AirPods, the wireless earphones, but some folks are already worried about them falling out of ears and getting lost.  This led Conan O'Brien to create this funny video.
• Jason Snell of Six Colors provides some early thoughts on AirPods based on his initial limited use of them.
• Last year, I reviewed the Spigen Apple Watch Night Stand, a fantastic device that you can place on your nightstand next to your bed to charge your Apple Watch at night.  I have been using mine every night for over a year.  When I reviewed it, it cost only $10.99, but I see that it is currently selling on Amazon for only $6.99 with free Amazon prime shipping.  That's a great price for a very useful product.
• Jason Snell of Six Colors reviews the Logitech Create Keyboard for the 9.7" iPad Pro.
• Kit Eaton of the New York Times recommends note-taking apps.
• And finally, it is no surprise that Apple created a commercial for the new iPhone 7, but I am surprised with the direction that Apple took with the ad.  It is unlike any other Apple ad that I've ever seen.  Check out the 30 second video if you haven't seen it yet:

Frederico Viticci's comprehensive guide to what is new in iOS 10

Yesterday, Apple released iOS 10, the 2016 update to the operating system software on the iPhone and iPad.  I provided an overview of the major new features in iOS 10 in this post, but if you want to know all of the details, I highly recommend the comprehensive review of iOS 10 by Frederico Viticci on his MacStories website.  There are 31 different parts of his review, and it is full of images and animations that make it easy to understand everything that is changed.  Yes, the review is very long, but that is because it covers everything, and you can easily skip through the parts that don't interest you.  I enjoyed using my iPad to read the review last night while I used my iPhone to try out the new features that I was reading about.

iOS 10, watchOS 3, to be released today

Today is the day that Apple will release major software updates, including the new iOS 10 and watchOS 3.  Apple typically releases iOS updates between 9am and 10am Pacific, so I typically check for the update around lunchtime here in New Orleans (Central Time Zone).  Remember that you need to have your Apple Watch charger to update the Apple Watch.

I discussed the major new features in iOS 10 in this post from a few months ago.  My discussion of watchOS 3 is here and here.  iOS 10 will have some great new features such as a new Lock Screen, improvements to Messages, the cool Memories features in the Photos app, and lyrics in Apple Music.  But I have to admit that I'm even more excited for watchOS 3, which will make apps launch much faster and includes great new interface features such as the dock.

Enjoy the new improvements to your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch!

UPDATE:  I tried the update as soon as it went online, and it failed on my iPhone 6s, forcing me into recovery mode.  I recommend that you wait for Apple to fix this before updating.  This has happened in the past, and Apple had a fix out fairly quickly.

iOS 10 update failed on my iPhone 6s. I’m in recovery mode. Many similar reports on Twitter. Glad I have a backup. pic.twitter.com/UJlVSNudqS

— Jeff Richardson (@jeffrichardson) September 13, 2016

UPDATE #2:  Apple says that the problem is now fixed.  In an official statement, Apple says:  "We experienced a brief issue with the software update process, affecting a small number of users during the first hour of availability.  The problem was quickly resolved and we apologize to those customers.  Anyone who was affected should connect to iTunes to complete the update or contact AppleCare for help."  For more information, check out this post by Jason Snell on Six Colors.  For example, you should update iTunes on your computer before you connect your iPhone.

UPDATE #3:  I am up and running again, and didn't even need to restore from a backup (although I'm still glad that I had it just in case).  But that was annoying and a waste of time.

ILTA survey shows that law firms purchase lots of iPhones and iPads

The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) is a peer networking organization for people who work in the legal technology field, such as the people who work in law firm IT departments.  ILTA recently held its annual conference in the Washington D.C. area, and at the conference, ILTA and InsideLegal released the results of their eleventh annual technology purchasing survey.  The survey was sent to almost 1,231 ILTA member law firms with responses from 175 law firms, about 83% of which were U.S. firms.  I previously wrote about the reports released in 2015, 2014 and 2013.  Here is what I saw in the 2016 survey results that struck me as interesting for attorneys who use iPhones and iPads.

For law firms that buy smartphones, 94% buy iPhones

This is a "technology purchasing survey" which means it asks about technology purchased by law firms.  There are many categories of legal technology that are virtually always purchased by law firms and not individual lawyers, but the category of mobile technology is one that is moving away from IT purchasing departments.  Many attorneys now buy their own device, a practice so prevalent in all companies that there is a common acronym for it:  BYOD (bring your own device).

The ILTA survey asks about BYOD for smartphones.  Back in 2012, 90% of responding law firms were buying smartphones for their own attorneys with only 10% being totally BYOD.  In 2013, 21% had a BYOD approach to smartphones.  This increased to 36% in 2014, and in 2015 and 2016 it was 32%.  Having said that, my suspicion is that some of these firms who do purchase smartphones for their attorneys are not purchasing them for every attorney; they could be just purchasing them for a subset such as new associates.

The ILTA survey also reveals that 68% of law firms have a formal BYOD policy that covers smartphones.  For the 30% of law firms that have no BYOD policy at all, most of them — 60% — are smaller law firms with 1 to 49 attorneys.

This ILTA survey does not ask any questions about smartphones that attorneys purchase themselves (the BYOD smartphones), only the smartphones that law firms are buying.  If 32% of law firms are completely BYOD in 2016, that means that around 68% are buying smartphones for at least some of their attorneys.  What are they buying?  Almost all of the 68% are buying iPhones (64%), about half are buying Android (33%), only 18% are still buying BlackBerries, and 10% are buying Windows smartphones.  Or stated differently, for those law firms that purchase smartphones for their attorneys in 2016, 94% are buying iPhones, 49% are buying Android, 26% are buying Blackberry and 15% are buying Windows.

Here is what the last five years of survey data looks like:

What this chart doesn't tell you is how many of each smartphone the firms are buying, just that the firm is buying at least one of that brand/platform.  On the other hand, the chart does tell us something about which smartphones are acceptable to IT departments at law firms.  Back in 2012, half of the law firms were not buying iPhones, and now almost all of them buy iPhones.  In 2012, very few law firms would buy any Android smartphones; Android peaked at 63% in 2015 and is down to 49% this year.  And while BlackBerry was the most popular smartphone purchased by law firms back in 2012, that popularity has decreased substantially in recent years.  Indeed, while the 26% number reflected on the above chart is a five-year low for BlackBerry, I'm actually surprised it was still that high.  For example, in 2015 the ABA reported that only 5% of lawyers were still using a BlackBerry device.  (The ABA has not yet released its 2016 numbers.)

For law firms that buy tablets, the iPad remains popular

In the 2012 ILTA purchasing survey, only 13% of law firms purchased tablets for at least some of their attorneys.  That increased substantially in the 2013 survey, when 58% of law firms purchased tablets for at least some of their attorneys.  Since then, the number has gone up and down but has always stayed fairly close to 50%.  In 2014, 48% of law firms purchased tablets; in 2015, 58% of law firms purchased tablets; in 2016, 52% of law firms purchased tablets. 

For the approximately half of all responding law firms who were purchasing tablets, the iPad remains popular, although that popularity has been decreasing somewhat.  In 2013, almost 100% of law firms purchasing tablets were buying iPads.  That fell to 92% in 2014, 81% in 2015, and this year it is down to 73%.  For those law firms that do purchase tablets for their attorneys, about 50% purchase Microsoft tablets, which is consistent with 2015.  But only about 10% purchased Android tablets in 2016, down from 24% in 2015.

But again, remember that these numbers only reflect law firm tablet purchases.  Most attorneys who I know purchase their own tablets. 

In the news

At midnight Pacific this morning, pre-orders began for the new 2016 versions of the iPhone and the Apple Watch.  I ordered the iPhone 7 (256 GB, Jet Black) and a stainless steel Series 2 Apple Watch.  It is unclear to me if I'll receive either device a week from today, Friday September 16, when the new products officially go on sale in stores (although perhaps in limited supplies); hopefully with a pre-order I'll be near the front of the line.  [UPDATE:  Even though I ordered immediately after these went on sale, it doesn't look like I will get them on September 16.  I ordered the new watch using the Apple Store app on my iPhone, and I received a delivery date of Sept. 26.  I ordered my new iPhone through AT&T's website, and I received an expected delivery date of Oct. 7.]  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• In article for Above the Law, New York attorney Nicole Black talks to St. Louis medical malpractice attorney Todd Hendrickson about how he integrated technology into his law practice, such as the TrialPad app on the iPad.
• In an article for The Daily Record, Nicole Black writes that attorneys have an ethical obligation to be reasonably competent in technology.
• Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac believes that Apple delivered solid updates with the iPhone 7 and new Apple Watch, but only the AirPods seemed magical.  That seems like a pretty fair assessment to me.
• Geoffrey Fowler of the Wall Street Journal shares his initial thoughts on the iPhone 7, noting that it is a good upgrade, but nothing jaw-dropping.
• John Paczkowski of BuzzFeed interviewed Apple executives to discuss the reasons for removing the headphone jack from the iPhone 7.
• Alex Guyot of MacStories wrote a detailed, comprehensive overview of the iPhone 7.
• Guyot wrote a similar, comprehensive overview of the new Apple Watch.
• Susie Ochs of Macworld discusses the Edition (ceramic) and Hermès versions of the Apple Watch.
• Karen Freeman of WatchAware notes that the 2016 version of the Apple Watch is slightly thicker and heavier than the first version.  I'm not sure if it is enough that you can actually notice it, but that is interesting considering that Apple normally has a reputation of making its products thinner and lighter over time.
• Serenity Caldwell of iMore wrote a great article describing all of the differences between the original Apple Watch, the new Series 1, and the new Series 2.
• Apple didn't discuss the iPad during the keynote event this week, but it announced afterwards that the 16 GB models are now 32 GB models, and the iPad Pro models are getting price cuts.  Jacob Kastrenakes of The Verge has the details on the iPad changes.  I presume that this means that we won't see new iPads until 2017, which makes sense to me.
• Rene Ritchie and Daniel Bader of iMore discuss the future of Apple's HomeKit smart home technology.
• If you want to give someone the gift of music, Dan DeSilva of 9to5Mac reports that you can buy a $99 Apple Music gift card, which gives someone 12 months of Apple Music.
• In an interview with Matt Peckham of Time, Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo discusses bringing the famous character he created, Mario, to the iPhone.  He also discusses meeting Apple CEO Tim Cook:  "It was actually shocking for me, because when I met with him, I didn’t realize I was older than him, and he mentioned that he’d been playing my games in college. [Laughs]."
• And finally, I'm really intrigued to try Apple's new AirPods, but they won't be available until next month.  Apple says that AirPods will produce "intelligent, high-efficiency playback, while delivering a consistent and reliable connection" and delivering "incredible sound."  Sounds good to me.  Here is Apple's introduction video for the AirPods:

Why lawyers will love the iPhone 7 and new Apple Watch

Yesterday, Apple introduced the 2016 versions of the iPhone, called the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and the 2016 versions of the Apple Watch.  The updates add new features that will be much appreciated by lawyers and other professionals who are using these devices to get work done, but the best new features will be most appreciated when you are off-the-clock.  Apple also announced new wireless headphones, called AirPods, which look fantastic.  The new iPhone and Apple Watch can be pre-ordered starting tomorrow, and will be available in stores a week from tomorrow.  Here are my thoughts on Apple's new product announcements.

iPhone 7

Faster.  Every year, the iPhone becomes faster, and I always love these improvements because they make the iPhone more responsive.  When I get work done using my iPhone, I am constantly switching between apps, jumping from Mail to my calendar to Safari to Dropbox to 1Password etc.  As my iPhone gets faster, I can be even more productive.  The iPhone 7 has Apple's new A10 Fusion chip, which is even faster than the processor in the 12.9" iPad Pro. 

More battery life.  The iPhone 7 has a longer battery life.  In part, this is because Apple removed the headphone jack, which I discuss below, allowing a bigger battery.  In part this is because a new processor knows when to start using only 20% of the power when you don't need full power.  The net result is that you can get about two more hours of battery life on the iPhone 7, and about one more hour of battery life on the iPhone 7 Plus (which already had excellent battery life).  I suspect that every lawyer has had a busy day when an iPhone was running on empty as the sun started to set.  Having an extra two hours every day will be much appreciated.

Better screen.  Apple says that the iPhone 7 has a Retina HD display.  It is 25% brighter and has a wider color gamut, so colors will be more accurate and photos will be more realistic.  This is something I'll have to try to see how much of an improvement it is in real life.  But in theory, I love the idea of a better screen on my iPhone because that's what I'm staring at when I use my iPhone.

Water resistant.  The iPhone 7 is rated IP67.  The first number refers to how much dust can get inside of the device, and 6 is the best — complete protection against dust.  The second number refers to liquid ingress protection and 7 is pretty good.  The 7 means that in theory the iPhone could be up to 1 meter deep in water for up to 30 minutes and it would still work.  That's good, although not as good as an 8 or 9K rating.  That 7 rating might make you think that you could take underwater photos and videos using your iPhone 7 as long as you don't do so for more than 30 minutes and don't go that deep underwater.  In practice, however, the IP67 rating is based on a controlled test in a lab, and may even be with the phone powered off — I'm not sure about that.  Even so, if you have ever had a situation where you accidentally dropped your iPhone in a sink or bathtub or swimming pool, the iPhone 7 is far more likely to survive being in the water than earlier models.

Camera.  I think that the biggest improvement in the iPhone 7 is the camera.  The camera works better in low light, with an f/1.8 aperture that allows 50% more light into the camera sensor than the iPhone 6s.  The new camera also captures colors more accurately.  And the iPhone 7 camera includes optical image stabilization, a feature that was previously included only on the Plus model.  It also has a better and brighter flash.  And while the main camera improvements are on the back, the front-facing camera is also improved, so you'll look better in a FaceTime video conference, and you can take better selfies.

On the larger iPhone 7 Plus, Apple takes advantage of the larger device by adding a second camera.  And while the first camera has a 28mm lens like the iPhone 7, the second camera has a 56mm telephoto lens.  This means that if you want to zoom, you are no longer limited to a digital zoom (which makes things larger but at a lower quality) and instead you have what amounts to a 2x optical zoom.  And while the iPhone 7 will let you use a 5x digital zoom, the 2x telephoto lens on the Plus means that you can get what amounts to a 10x zoom.  Once you go all the way up to 10x, the quality of the image will suffer.  But it will still look much better than the iPhone 7.  And if you are just looking for a 2x zoom, the iPhone 7 Plus camera will look fantastic, much better than the iPhone 7.

Later this year in a software update, Apple will also give the iPhone 7 Plus the ability to use both cameras at the same time to create the illusion of depth-of-field, a bokeh effect that will allow a person in the center of your photo to remain in perfect focus while the background is blurred.  This effect is common on SLR cameras with much larger lenses, and I'll be curious to see how it looks on an iPhone 7 Plus considering that the iPhone is essentially faking the effect, although it is using two cameras so it is not like you are just applying a cheesy Instagram filter.

Home Button.  The Home Button on the iPhone 7 is no longer a button.  It is just a surface that can detect when you are putting pressure on it, and which produces a slight click to make you think that you have just pressed a button.  Apple does something similar on the Apple Watch and the "button" on the MacBook laptop.  In the Settings app, you can adjust how it responds to your touch.  I'll have to try it to see what I think, but my initial reaction is that this isn't really an improvement or a disadvantage; it is just a change that was necessary to make the iPhone more water resistant.

Audio changes.  If you ever play music, podcasts, movies, etc. on your iPhone just using the built-in speaker, then you'll really like the iPhone 7 because it produces sound out of the top and the bottom — or, if you have your iPhone turned on its side in landscape mode to watch a video, sound out of the left and right side.  Stereo sound.  Thus, the iPhone 7 is much louder when using the built-in speaker, and has a more pleasing stereo sound.

If you want to use a headphone, you will no longer be able to use a built-in headphone jack.  Instead, the iPhone 7 only works with headphones plugged in to the Lightning jack.  The iPhone 7 comes with Apple's Lightning EarPods.  If you want to use traditional headphones, the iPhone also comes with a headphone jack / Lightning dongle.  You can buy additional dongles from Apple for $9, making this the cheapest Apple hardware product that I can ever remember Apple selling.

There are several reasons that Apple decided to remove the headphone jack.  It lets that space be used for other purposes (such as a larger battery) and it helps to make the iPhone more water resistant.  But the main reason is that Apple thinks that the future of headphones is wireless.  Which leads me to...

AirPods

Apple is removing the headphone jack because it thinks that the future is wireless.  To show what the future looks like, Apple is releasing its own wireless headphones called AirPods, which will be available next month for $159.  You don't need an iPhone 7 to use them; you can also use an older iPhone model as long as it is running iOS 10.

The new AirPods look like just the tip of an Apple headphone without any of the cords.  A microphone is located at the bottom of each stem.  Put them in at least one ear and the sound from your iPhone automatically starts playing through the AirPods.  When you have AirPods in both ears and you remove one of them — for example, because you want to hear something or talk to someone — the iPhone automatically pauses.  Put the AirPod back in your ear to resume playing.  Or, if you are listening to music and you remove both AirPods, then music stops playing in the AirPods and starts playing through your iPhone speakers.

By the way, you don't have to use both AirPods at once.  You can just use one at a time, perhaps when you are taking a call or listening to a podcast and don't care about stereo. 

There are no buttons on the AirPods, but they can sense when you double-tap one of them, which activates Siri.  You can tell Siri to skip tracks, change the volume, etc. but there are no buttons on the AirPods to manually perform those functions (unlike Apple's traditional wired headphones which had a play/pause/FF/RW button on the cord).

The cord always gets in the way when I use traditional headphones, and for that reason I've been mostly using Bluetooth headphones for the last year.  The biggest problem with traditional wireless Bluetooth headphones is that they often don't work that well.  They can lose the connection, the sound sometimes stutters, etc.  Apple says that it solved this problem by placing a chip (Apple calls it the W1) inside of each AirPod.  Based on the initial reviews from folks who tried them yesterday, the sound quality of the AirPods is supposed to be quite good.  If it all works as well as Apple says, it will be fantastic to have wireless headphones that really work well. 

AidPods will last five hours before the charge runs out (or two hours if you are talking on the phone), and you recharge them by putting them in their carrying case.  The carrying case has 24 hour battery, so you can recharge the AirPods almost five times in the case.  Plug the case into any Lightning port and both the case and the AirPods recharge.  It looks like a great solution for charging.

Apple Watch

The new version of the Apple Watch is called the Apple Watch Series 2.  Additionally, Apple will continue to sell the original Apple Watch with one revision — a faster processor — under the name Apple Watch Series 1.

Faster.  One of my biggest complaints about the original Apple Watch is that it was slow to perform many tasks.  The watchOS 3 software update will use software to make all Apple Watches faster, but the big hardware change this year is a new processor that makes the watch 50% faster, plus a new GPU that makes graphics twice as fast, plus a dual-core processor.  Even if you get the cheapest aluminum model of the Apple Watch called the Series 1, you get the speed increase associated with the new processor.  So every new Apple Watch sold will be faster.  That's great news.

Brighter.  The screen on the original Apple Watch is pretty good, but it can be hard to see if it is really bright outside.  The 2016 Apple Watch has a display that is twice as bright as the original Apple Watch, making it even easier to see the display when you are outside during the day.

Running and Swimming.  Apple knows that people like to be active with an Apple Watch, and made it easier to do so in two ways.  First, the new Apple Watch now includes a GPS so it can track your run (or hike, or bike ride, etc.), even if your iPhone isn't in your pocket.  Second, you can now go swimming with the new Apple Watch because it is waterproof. The Apple website says:  "Apple Watch Series 2 has a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010.  This means that it may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean.  However, Apple Watch Series 2 should not be used for scuba diving, waterskiing, or other activities involving high-velocity water or submersion below shallow depth."  The only part of the new Apple Watch that isn't closed off to water is the speaker, since you need to have a pocket of air to produce sound.  But after a swim (or after you press the water icon in the control panel) you can spin the digital crown on the side of the watch and the speaker will activate to blow any remaining water out of the watch.  Neat trick.  If you enjoy participating in Ironman triathlons where you run, bike and swim, this new Apple Watch has your name written all over it.

Special versions.  When the Apple Watch debuted, Apple announced a single special version:  a very expensive Apple Watch called the Edition which featured a gold case. This year, the gold case is gone, but the name remains.  The new Edition is one-tenth the price of the gold Apple Watch, and instead of gold, this year's Edition includes a white ceramic finish.  Apple says that the ceramic makes the new Edition four times harder than the stainless steel version of the Apple Watch.

Another special version this year is the Apple Watch Nike+.  It is a Series 2 aluminum Apple Watch that comes with a few special features, most notably a Nike-branded sport band that has lots of holes in the band, but also some special watch faces. 

And Apple is continuing to sell a Hermès version of the Apple Watch, which now gets you the stainless steel Series 2 Apple Watch along with a special leather band made by Hermès, plus a special Hermès watch face.

Price.  To place the new Apple Watch prices in historical context, remember that the original Apple Watch cost $349 for the 38mm Sport version with an aluminum case, or an extra $50 for the 42mm version; The Apple Watch with stainless steel sold for $549 for the 38mm version and $50 more for the 42mm version. 

Now we have new prices along with the new "Series" name.  And there are so many different price points that it can all get somewhat confusing.

The cheapest Apple Watch is now $80 cheaper.  The 38mm Apple Watch Series 1 will cost $269, and for an additional $30 you can get the 42mm Apple Watch Series 1. 

If you want all of the new Apple Watch features (brighter screen, GPS, swim-proof) in the aluminum model, then you'll want the Series 2.  Apple is no longer using the "Sport" name with the Apple Watch, and instead just refers to that as the aluminum model.  The new aluminum Series 2 model starts at $369 for the 38mm model, and is $30 more for the 42mm model.

Thus, if you want the aluminum case, the Series 1 is either $80 less (38mm) or $100 less (42mm) than the original Apple Watch, and the Series 2 is either $20 more (38mm) or the same price (42mm).

If you want the stainless steel case, there is no Series 1.  Every model of the 2016 stainless steel Apple Watch is the Series 2, with all of the new features.  And the price remains the same as before:  $549 for the 38mm version, and $50 more for the 42mm version.

All of these prices assume that you get the version of the watch with Apple's cheapest bands — the Sport band or the Nylon band.  If you want any of the fancier bands, you'll pay more.  My advice for new Apple Watch owners remains the same as last year.  I encourage you to get the cheapest version with a Sport band or Nylon band.   You'll want to have a cheaper band for use when working out, getting your hands dirty in the backyard, and for the new Series 2 models for when swimming.  Then buy the more expensive band separately, because that way you have the ability to return the more expansive band for a refund and/or to swap it out with another expansive band if you don't like the original one that you bought.

If you are interested in the Nike+ version of the Apple Watch, the prices are essentially the same as the aluminum versions of the Apple Watch.  The Hermès models costs between $1149 and $1499 depending upon which leather band you select.  And the new Apple Watch Edition with the white ceramic case costs $1249, or $50 more if you want the 42mm version.

Summary

Sometimes Apple updates its products with features that seem to be aimed directly at lawyers and other professionals.  For example, when Apple introduced the 12.9" iPad Pro, it seemed directly aimed at folks trying to get work done with an iPad such as lawyers looking at documents, exhibits, etc.  Even the 9.7" version of the iPad Pro is a great productivity tool, with support for the Apple Pencil and a speedy processor.  Yesterday's updates to the iPhone and Apple Watch are, for the most part, not those types of updates.  Sure, the increased speed and better screen on both products will improve productivity, and the better battery life on the iPhone could be a huge boost for many professionals, but most of the hardware improvements announced yesterday will be appreciated most when you step away from billable hours and begin your personal life.

But that isn't meant to take away from the improvements.  These are much better products.  The new Apple Watch Series 2 will be great if you want assistance and motivation when you exercise — especially if you like to run without carrying your iPhone or you like to swim.  The new camera on the iPhone 7 will improve the quality of your photographs, especially if you get the Plus model and want the ability to zoom.  These look like amazing devices that folks will love, and I cannot wait to try them myself.

If you already use an iPhone 6s or an Apple Watch, these are not essential upgrades, although many will upgrade anyway to take advantage of the new features.  But if you are using an iPhone 6 or older, the iPhone 7 is a substantial improvement that you will really appreciate.  If you don't yet own an Apple Watch, now is a perfect time to get one and learn for yourself why folks like me love it so much.

And finally, if you want to see a very quick recap of Apple's new announcements in less than two minutes, Apple released a video yesterday afternoon called Don't Blink, which contains an ultra-quick summary of the keynote.  Apple has never released a video like this before, and it is fun:

New iPhone, Apple Watch to be announced today

Today at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern, Apple will give a keynote presentation at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.  Apple hasn't disclosed what will be announced, but as I noted last week, the invitation may suggest a better camera on the iPhone. 

I am 100% certain that Apple will announce the 2016 version of the iPhone today.  I presume that it will be called the iPhone 7, based upon the naming conventions of the last few years, but this is always subject to change.  I am also fairly certain that Apple will introduce a new Apple Watch today; the rumors say that at least one new Apple Watch model will include GPS.

But beyond those two products, I'm not sure what else Apple will announce.  Rene Ritchie of iMore wrote a great post on Medium with his thoughts on what we will and won't see today, so if you want more insight / speculation, check out his article.

You can watch the event live from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with Safari on iOS 7.0 or later, a Mac with Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X v10.8.5 or later, or a PC with Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.  Using any of those devices, click here at or just before 10 Pacific today.  Or you can watch using an Apple TV.

New Solo podcast -- Using an iPhone and iPad in your law practice

I was recently interviewed by legal technology consultant Adriana Linares for her New Solo podcast, for an episode released late last week.  You can listen to it in your podcast app of choice (I use Overcast on my iPhone), or you can listen to it here on the New Solo website (part of the Legal Talk Network), or I've embedded the audio below.  Adriana is incredibly knowledgeable in the field of law and technology, and she is the Chair of ABA TECHSHOW 2017, which will take place in Chicago starting on March 15, 2017.  Although based in Florida, Adriana also spends part of her time living in New Orleans, so were able to record this episode in a conference room in my office.  This was the first time that I've had an opportunity to record a podcast when all participants were in the same room — which was so much better than using a service like Skype.

As you can tell from the title of this podcast, the episodes are typically aimed at attorneys transitioning to a solo law practice.  But in this episode, she and I talked about how any attorney can integrate an iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch into a law practice, regardless of how big or small your law firm may be.  (I myself practice in a larger law firm, and I have never had a solo practice.)  I really enjoyed how the interview turned out.  We discussed lots of interesting topics, and I encourage you to give it a listen.

In the news

Apple got a lot of attention in the news this week when the European Union ordered Apple to pay Ireland $14.5 billion in back taxes, plus interest.  But ironically, Ireland itself — the country that would receive the taxes — disagrees that Apple owes the taxes, and plans to appeal (as does Apple).  Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote a public letter on the Apple website explaining why he believes that Apple has done nothing wrong and paid all of the taxes that it owed.   But as Matthew Yglesias of Vox explains, the real issue is that the EU thinks that Ireland has been unfairly undertaxing Apple (and others) to encourage them to conduct business in Ireland, and this practice is allegedly contrary to EU rules.  Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac wrote an interesting article on these taxes, and while his article doesn't account for the ruling because it was written six months ago, it provides great background reading on this issue.  Even if the EU is correct, it seems unfair to me to go back and retroactively change the rules for taxes already paid.  It would be easier for me to agree with the EU saying that, going forward, Apple needs to pay taxes pursuant to a different formula.  But I am not even a U.S. tax attorney, let alone an Irish or EU tax attorney, so all I can really say is that it is obviously a very complicated issue, and I'm sure that there are a lot of lawyers in Europe spending a lot of time on this for their clients.  And now, the news of note from the past week:

• Florida attorney Rick Georges reviews the QCY Q26 Mini in Ear Wireless Bluetooth, an incredibly tiny device that fits in one ear and wirelessly produces the audio from your iPhone.  Wow, that thing is really tiny.
• California attorney David Sparks offers some thought on what Apple may introduce next week in the new iPhone 7.
• Two quick self-promotion items from this Summer.  First, New Orleans CityBusiness has a column where they ask people to recommend one or two apps on their iPhone.  They recently asked me, and I talked about 1Password and Fantastical.  If you want to read what I said, you can click on the link on this page.
• Second, the Louisiana State Bar Association is celebrating its 75th anniversary.  In one article in the June/July issue of the Louisiana Bar Journal, New Orleans attorney Ernie Svenson and I were interviewed by attorneys David Stein and Pete Kee to discuss what we think legal technology will look like in 25 years.  Click here to read the article:  PDF version.  It was fun to think about the future of legal technology.
• Caitlin McGarry of Macworld describes some of the new Siri features in iOS 10, the new operating system which may be released as soon as next week.
• Joseph Cox of Motherboard writes that, in 2012, hackers stole account details for over 60 million Dropbox users, and the details are just starting to come out now.  Dropbox says that it has seen no evidence of malicious access to these accounts, but even so, this news is obviously quite unsettling.
• Geoffrey Fowler of the Wall Street Journal reviews the Automatic Pro, a $130 device (with no service fee) that plugs in to your car and provides information about your car to your iPhone.  Better yet, if the device senses that your vehicle is in a crash, it automatically notifies someone who will call you to see if you are OK — and will call 911 with your location if you need help.
• Brent Dirks of App Advice reviews the new Tile Slim Bluetooth Tracker that is thin enough to fit in your wallet, and lets you use your iPhone to locate your wallet — or your wallet to locate your iPhone — if you misplace one of them.
• Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac reports on a French medical study finding that letting a child use an iPad before surgery was just as effective as using a sedative when it comes to reducing the child's anxiety level.  So the next time you are feeling anxious, you know what to reach for.
• You know that "Sent From My iPhone" that you sometimes see at the end of an email?  Lara Williams writes in an article for The Guardian that the connotation of that phrase has changed over time from a way of showing off ("Looking at me!  I have an iPhone!"), to something else completely.  Interesting.
• And finally, as we look forward to Apple's keynote next week at which the new iPhone will be introduced, it is fun to take a look backward at the great Apple keynotes of yesteryear.  NotesKey is a neat website that has extensive details on every major Apple keynote since January of 1997.  I enjoyed using NotesKey to relive the details of the July 2000 keynote at Macworld New York, the only Apple keynote I attended in person; it was a real treat to see Steve Jobs on stage.  But one of the very best keynotes ever was the January 2007 keynote at Macworld San Francisco, where Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone. Here is how Steve Jobs began:

  This is a day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years.  Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.  And Apple has been, well ... first of all, one is very fortunate if you get to work on just one of these in your career.  Apple has been very fortunate.  It has been able to introduce a few of these into the world.  In 1984, we introduced the Macintosh.  It didn't just change Apple, it changed the whole computer industry.  In 2001, we introduced the first iPod.  And it didn't just change the way we all listen to music, it changed the entire music industry. 

  Well, today, we're introducing three revolutionary products of this class.  The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch controls.  [Crowd cheers]  The second is a revolutionary mobile phone.  [Crowd cheers even louder]  And the third is a breakthrough Internet communications device.  So, three things.  A widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough Internet communications device.  An iPod, a phone and an Internet communicator.  An iPod, a phone and an Internet communicator.  [Crowd goes wild]  Are you getting it?  These are not three separate devices.  This is one device.  And we are calling it iPhone.  Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.

  If you want to watch it again as we look forward to next week, here is the full video of that January 2007 keynote; the iPhone introduction starts around 21:50: